Tems, Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid, and Iwájú Shine as NAACP Image Awards Announce 56th Edition Nominees

The nominations for the 56th NAACP Image Awards are out, and among the many nominees are Nigerian stars Tems, Burna Boy, Davido and Wizkid, along with the Disney animated series Iwájú, headlining this year’s nominees. This only goes to further solidify the increasing impact of African talent and stories on the world stage.

Tems is known for her peculiar sound and global collaborations—nominated for ‘Love Me Jeje’ in the outstanding International Song category, which is from her debut studio Grammy-nominated album, ‘Born in the Wild,’ In addition, Davido was also nominated for his collaboration with Chris Brown for the track ‘Hmmm’ in the Outstanding International Song category with Wizkid for ‘Piece of My Heart’ featuring Brent Faiyaz. Grammy-nominated artist Tyla was nominated for ‘Jump’ with Gunna and for Outstanding New Artist category.

Burna Boy and Wizkid, two of the most iconic names in Afrobeats, also earned nominations in the category of outstanding duo, group of collaboration (contemporary), with Burna Boy being recognised for his song with Usher, ‘Coming Home’ and Wizkid for his continuing his streak in that love genre with his music, ‘Piece of my Heart’ featuring Brent Faiyaz.

Iwájú is an African sci-fi animation by Disney, co-produced with Kugali Media; it draws inspiration from Lagos, Nigeria, with original languages In Nigerian Pidgin and Yoruba and earned a nomination in Outstanding Animated Series, further showcasing the expanding representation of African narratives in mainstream entertainment.

Major Contenders Across Categories

The entertainers of the year category is a collector’s dream this year, touting heavyweights like Cynthia Erivo, Keke Palmer, Kendrick Lamar, Kevin Hart, and Shannon Sharpe. In the music/recording categories, GloRilla leads with six nominations, while Doechii, Kendrick Lamar, and Usher have four nods each.

RCA Records stands tall among record labels, securing 11 nominations, the highest this year. Notable mentions include Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal, PJ Morton’s Cape Town to Cairo, Usher’s Coming Home, Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, and GloRilla’s Glorious in the outstanding album category.

Television and Film Highlights

On the big screen, The Piano Lesson leads in motion picture categories with 14 nominations, followed by The Book of Clarence with six. On the small screen, Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist tops the pack with nine nods to help Netflix get an astonishing 64 nominations across all categories.

Ayo Edebiri will have the most appearances as she has four nominations for The Bear and Saturday Night Live. Keke Palmer, on the other hand, has four nods: hosting credit and acting credits.

Voting Detail, Event Information

Fans may vote for select categories at NAACPImageAwards.net. Voting closes on Feb. 7 at Midnight ET. Winners will be announced at two ceremonies: Creative Honors will stream Feb. 21 on NAACPImageAwards.net, while the principal event will air live on Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET and CBS.

Set at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif., this year’s show celebrates the theme “Our Stories, Our Culture, Our Excellence.”

Click here to view the full list of nominees.

Read: Emilia Pérez Wins Big At 82nd Golden Globe Awards

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